THE NEW POST-DILUVIAN ORDER
Key verset 9: 1
The flood marked a significant turning point in human history. The old world was over, and a new one was born. In this new world, God felt that a new order needed to be implemented.
1. You will be a subject of fear (1-7)
Although God wanted to keep the original order of creation, He was obliged to modify this order, or rather adapt it to the post-Diluvian world. Nevertheless, God kept the commandment from Genesis 1:28 as it was the meaning of man's existence as creature and steward of the world, and thus could not be changed. God said that man will be a subject of fear and terror for the other creatures. The peaceful relationship between creatures changed no longer existed and was replaced with one of coercion and force. The ecosystem underwent a transformation. God gave man permission to eat meat. In the past man killed animals for skin, but from then on he could kill to consume them. However, God says that he will not eat them red, for in their blood is their life. Cain's crime was once covered by God's magnanimity, but now God established a law of retaliation for murder. Man must respect his brothers' life and his own, for it is a gift from God.
2. God makes a covenant with Noah (8-17)
God wanted to make a covenant with Noah. It is a covenant that also concerns the other creatures. God saw that the cataclysm did not change man's sinful nature, and He regreted doing it (8:21). He will not destroy man because of his sin. From now on, God will seek another way, to save him. He chose a man worthy of being an ancestor of faith and decided to save man by his obedience, faith and repentance. However, God knew that he was afraid of Him given the waters and He wanted to give him a reassuring sign. It was the rainbow that God will look upon to not send another flood, and that will remove all fear from man who is fundamentally guilty. It is a covenant of unilateral grace, for God does not ask for a quid pro quo.
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